Mules can see their hind legs in their vision, which is why they were apparently stubborn AF, because they were like, "you dumb human, I'm not putting my leg there, I'll fall" when crossing narrow passages & shit like that. A fun fact for your day.
Horses can remember small details on trails they've used, so they can become startled if a bush is missing, or a branch is missing from a tree. They have insane memory, and pay attention to every little thing, but cannot remember your birthday...kinda like people with adhd.
Poop fact #1: Of the 25% that's solid, the biggest component is bacteria, with the rest being a mix of indigestible food matter, fat, inorganic substances, and protein. Your poop is (usually) brown because of the way bacteria work on bilirubin, a pigment in bile that's the end result of dead red blood cells
Yeah, all my life I've had episodes of pain. So I went to my doctor and got prescribe OxyContin. They are an absolute MIRACLE!. Praise be! Next week I'm going to try to get switched to Fentanyl patches because I hear it's a smoother ride.
This sounds like me to a T. If there is something I TRULY want to work on, I will be laser focused, but otherwise my brain is all over the place. No wonder I always have 8 instances of chrome open at a time with 40 tabs each. When I go back through them I just think to myself, how the fuck did I get from landscaping to the best southern bbq rib rub.
Maybe I should go see a doctor and get something for this. I always just feel like I'll be dismissed rather than have the doctor actually consider I may actually have ADHD.
I couldn't focus worth a shit in university unless it was a subject I cared about. I leave work until the last minute even though I know better than that by now (I'm 35 now). And I can't sit down and read a book because 10 pages in I realize I haven't been paying attention to the book because my mind is elsewhere but my eyes just kept on going.
ADHD doesn't just mean you "can't pay attention." You could actually be more prone to hyperfocusing on the things you "like", becoming absorbed and then burned out by them in a short amount of time.
Oh I know exactly what you're saying. I definitely CAN focus on things. I actually find that when there is a project I'm working on or something I want to do, it basically takes over my life. Currently working on landscaping my yard and building a cafe racer motorcycle......ALL I can think about is this stuff even though there is other stuff that is more important to take care of, but somehow it doesn't seem to matter. I obsess over stuff that I care about, and everything else just falls through the cracks until the very last second or until after it's too late.
I am the exact same way, always have been. I'm 25 now so not quite as old as you but all throughout my school career and now into my professional career it is still the same. If something falls into that category of "I truly want to work on this", it gets my full undivided attention and I fucking explore everything even remotely close to it. I study all the material, I watch all the videos, and I follow thru and do the thing. But any other category it's just like mehhhhhh i'll slowly work on it, push it til the last possible minute and constantly multitask on other things.
I think that's me... I always want to learn something, then I spend a ton of time and effort learning it then I get burned out and bored and just move onto the next thing to focus all my energy onto. It's why I'm good at security, networking, and programming whereas most people will just be great at programming or networking etc. Although, in IT, jack of all trades is actually a benefit so I'm not too upset that I am like this.
Haha I ended up in IT as well and can attest, it actually is useful on occasion. Also I feel that because I have had many, many different dedicated hobbies I have learned how to learn faster. If that makes any sense lol. So now if it's a new technology or language or fucking anything in the IT world I can learn or "get caught up on" the technology faster than my peers. I could go on and on but I would just be rambling. Glad I'm not the only one.
I have a diploma in both programming, and in networking. I'm slightly better at networking but I enjoy programming more and I can do both quite well, and then security is kind of a hobby for me but also an important aspect of everything I do professionally.
That's absolutely one of the most defining characteristics of ADHD. It's also something that's oddly similar to OCD. I often wonder how the the disorders may be related and why I rarely see anyone talking about that.
This is my life, and at times it makes me hate myself for it. I really am starting to think I need to see a Dr. of sorts to see what/if there is anything I can take or do to try and fix or at the least lessen this burden, though Im not entire sure where to begin. I feel like its starting to affect my work life and personal life to an extent.
But that's such a generic feeling. Like it's so prevalent that it might as well just be a cognitive personality style for people. It's like a personality paradox.
I've always seen mental faculties like a river that's always going to take the path of least resistance while being consistent. It's in flux, and they aren't all quite the same.
Mental illness, comparatively, would be an interruption, stagnation, or pollution of the stream.
If the river flows east, and you want to sail north, the problem might not be the river.
But if the river is dead, runs dry, or teeming with filth then something's wrong.
ADHD has always struck me as an issue in the former scenario, largely, but not entirely.
This was me in college. Left with 100+ credit's for multiple majors. Would 4.0 a course then fail the following course.
Hoping that coming back 5 years later things will have changed.
This is me! I get super excited about things, spend days and weeks researching it then move on to something else after I get bored with it. I've never been diagnosed but I've always felt scatter brained. I was always the class clown and hyper. I was the "not working to potential" student only doing well in my drafting classes because that's was the only interesting class for me. I can read a book and one word will have me daydreaming about something else. Then I realize I've read 2 pages without actually reading and only thinking about whatever that word sparked in my mind. I don't think I have severe ADHD and I don't want to lessen what others are experiencing by saying I have it but I always wondered what I'd be like if I was treated for it.
The cool thing about it though is that you know a lot of random things that other people don't. People with ADHD have very unique personalities because they are made up of a lot of interests.
The only question though is how much time we were interested in a subject before we moved on to something else, so sometimes our knowledge on something can be superficial, but we're usually knowledgeable or informed on most things.
This is exactly how my ex was too. He had really bad ADHD and I didn't realize it would have an impact on the relationship when he mentioned he had it.
He would hold off on school work until the last minute and, on top of constantly being stressed, he would have no time for me because he would wait to do everything during the only times we could actually see each other. He would spend one full day making one little poster I could finish in 15 minutes. He would always forget about my birthday and holidays. He would repeat the same things I told him, as if I never said them to begin with. He would tell me the same interesting and unusual facts over and over again. If he managed to get engrossed in something then all of his time was directed at that one thing, and he would spout out random stuff about it constantly. He was always freaking out about the future but would do nothing about it.
I was always there to help him with the stress, anger, and hard times. And he let me go regardless of me sticking with him through how bad his ADHD really was.
I've been on the other side of this exact relationship. This was heartbreaking to read.
The relationship ended semi-mutually due to problems related to an international border that ultimately made living together impossible. But, when we did live together, my problems strongly contributed to our problems.
I'm almost 30 and I still can't do the necessary things to start a career going.
He said I deserved much more, but he later admitted he broke it off for selfish reasons. A relationship was just too much for him to handle since he struggled to just handle daily tasks. My friends always said I was the most patient and forgiving person though, so I never understood how I could have added stress when I thought I was eliminating it. I did all I could, but I hope he is able to find someone as patient again.
It adds stress because we know the things we do hurt you, and if we love you, stressing out about what we might do to you just compounds the rest of the stress, even if we know you won't mind or be supportive etc. A lot of the stress comes from overthinking and hypothetical situations
Yea he did think he was making me miserable. And the overthinking and hypothetical situations are bringing back some memories. It makes a lot more sense now knowing his ADHD played a huge part in everything that went wrong.
This is exactly me. I can recall random bits of information in meetings but as soon as my supervisor asks me to summarize a meeting I just got out of I just sit there with a stupid look on my face because I can never remember the specific details.
I also suck at telling stories or jokes because I get hung up on the absolute stupidest details and am constantly fumbling over my thoughts or trying to come up with the perfect word when any number of them would do.
I too feel like I just know things, how things work, the science and logic. But for fucks sake I just don't remember things that I read or watch or learn unless I repeat them constantly and for a very very long time.
This is me. I hate it and love it. I was diagnosed years ago and I pretended it was bullshit for a whIle. Amphetamines aren't a sustainable fix though and that is irritating because I would just like to get rid of my ADD. I wish I could do things. Inattentive type is so hard to explain. It's like your brain is in purgatory for half of the day.
Your comment somehow really blows my mind. I was diagnosed with Auditory Memory Processing Disorder as a child and ADHD in High School. I never attributed it to my executive function. I know a TON of random shit.... Sometimes I think I must come off as a know it all, bc I'm able to chime in during any conversation with random facts regarding whatever subject is being discussed. Never thought to connect the two.
Yeah, all that bouncing around on the internet ends up making you too knowledgeable sometimes in conversations. I've learned that people end up feeling insecure if you come off as too intelligent. Most people operate at an A to B level, they don't go beyond that and make connections between things, or ask "what if?" People with ADHD tend to be good at seeing how things fit together in a larger context, and can develop relationships between ideas or concepts well because they're equipped with a lot of random knowledge.
I think part of it is because we move along branches in search of stimulating information, so we learn how things are connected more broadly so we can navigate information and ideas in search of something new or exciting.
Other people tend to live inside their brains locally, going from one task to another. ADHD people venture all over the place, like we're flying through the atmosphere of our imaginations and any stimuli available to us.
Oh I completely understand, but seriously though I find myself saying stuff like, "alright we're going to fucking get this done.....no messing around. Focus focus focus." Then I go to get back on the task, get distracted, and realize I've spend 45 fucking minutes not doing what I was actually supposed to be doing.
My short term memory is garbage too. People will tell me something and I make a point to try and remember it, then when they ask about it, I'm like, "GOD DAMMIT I forgot again"
Do you know how many times I've left my lunch in the fridge or on the floor by my shoes on my way to work? Seriously this doesn't feel normal.
edit: I also wanted to mention the book thing again. Most people could sit down and read a novel in a weekend if they had to, even if they weren't into the book/genre/whatever. For me......that sounds like a nightmare and I honestly don't think I would be able to do it.
hey, go see a doctor! the feeling that someone may think you're lazy instead of diagnosing you with adhd is normal—ive got adhd and most of us have felt that way. from what you described, it sounds very likely that you've got it too. you deserve to get help sorting your brain out, it'll change your whole life.
I'm going to make it a point to see someone about this soon. Hopefully I can turn things around. There are some many things I feel like I've missed out on, but I always just thought I had a shit memory and I was lazy. .....not to mention the guilt for not living up to what I feel is my full potential.
I always just thought I had a shit memory and I was lazy. .....not to mention the guilt for not living up to what I feel is my full potential.
I call this, "High self confidence, low self esteem" and to me it is one of the biggest hallmarks of living with undiagnosed ADD/ADHD. The feeling of knowing you CAN do something but hating yourself because you also 'know' that you're 'too lazy' and 'irresponsible' to get it done.
Knowing now that my brain is physically and functionally different than that of someone without ADD has made the most enormous difference in my life.
Yeah that was me before I got diagnosed. I've never had any problems in life then suddenly I started going backwards in progress at work. It was a comfort when I got diagnosed. Mind you I still have issues with the "just do it, why can't I just get it done." at work, but I currently hate what I do and am not challenged at all. Which I discovered is my main motivation.
Also that test they give you made me feel like an idiot child. I had no idea what I was in for, or what is typically. The administrator ended up stopping early and diagnosed me before it was sent off for the "official" results.
I am really glad it reached you, please do get help as soon as you can. Once you identify the problem, you can start work on shedding the years of self hatred and recrimination.
So if I may ask, what do you find changed. Like, did you notice your personality changed? Did you lose any sharpness or creativity? I work in design and NEED my problem-solving and creativity, but I also do some photography work and am worried I'll lose my eye for something like that.
nah, stimulants do have some annoying side effects but losing creativity isn't one of them for me. it feels like putting on glasses for my brain when i take them. everything is clearer, crisper, makes more sense to me. without them i feel stunted, creatively—like any ideas in my head are going to get washed away in seconds by another more distracting but much less important thought. like i can "feel" an idea but can't conceptualize or articulate it whatsoever. like i WANT to create but can't focus on the most open ended low pressure creative tasks. i don't mean to take away from anyone who has suffered a loss of creativity when on meds, but i think it's not as much of a problem as it's made out to be.
i did a podcast interview about adhd once, talked a lot about my experience with meds and getting diagnosed. if you're interested in listening, PM me and i'll link you! (but if you have an attention span of about 1 minute and podcasts aren't your thing, i understand :)
For me, before people would say I was creative because my class notes would be full of doodles (and not really any notes) but that wasnt creativity that was just doodling bcs I needed to be doing something to be able to pay attention to lecture at all. Now, my notes have almost no doodles on them. But, they have figures or different fonts for different "headings" or different colors for key words i.e. the "creative energy" isnt just spilling out and being wasted. Im able to harness it to create something actually useful. Also, I can actually finish the "creative" projects that I start because I can focus on them long enough to complete them rather than just start and never finish. It feels different because I'm less likely to go into something that requires "creativity" blind, which is the only way I knew how to do it before. Now, I'm able to sit down, think of an idea, start, and actually make the idea a real thing (note: lots of shit still changes and a lot of the time the final product looks nothing like my initial idea but that's fine). But also my job isnt design so the "creative things" are not on a professional level. For me, medication doesn't change who I am, I am still me, I still feel like me, I still think like me. I can just relax enough to be able to think things through.
Edit: forgot to add: now people say I'm creative because of the actual things that I create, rather than the no effort doodles that were basically the equivilent of fidgeting.
What if I've smoked weed every day for the past 3 years due to depression? Am I being a lazy and have a shit memory? Or am I blaming it on the weed?
I mean I've always been lazy, but ever since college started and I've had to actually put in a lot of effort, I feel like I can't even get anything done. I know I need to get shit done, I know it's due soon, yet I just can't do it. I had a class that I had 3 weeks to study for my finals to get an A in order to pass the class with a C and I knew how important it was yet I couldn't sit down and study. The only time I did homework was if it was relatively easy. I was also depressed as fuck because I was so stressed from doing bad in school, when I knew fully well I could've put more effort.
Idk. I feel like I'm just a lazy fuck, but i don't want to get dismissed nor misdiagnosed.
Did you have any issues with being dismissed? That's my biggest worry. I feel like I've always kind of known my brain worked a little differently than most, and I've joked around about it, but I'm afraid a doctor is just going to say, "Just get some more sleep and exercise, that's all it is"
Man, this is me too. Last time it took me about 6 months to get a doctor then a recommendation to see a phyciatrist, then I moved for work and haven't finished the process of getting diagnosed... I've failed out of higher education twice and told myself I would never go back until I get the Concentration problems sorted out... :(
hey, you can do it!!! i promise. visit r/ADHD for some support—that sub has been really helpful for me. i know it's hard when you fall off the wagon of a task, so to speak, but don't let the guilt and anxiety keep you from moving forward. do what you gotta do to feel good :)
I got my official diagnosis ADHD/ADD a few weeks ago, the book thing, very recognizable, the lunch thing happens to me about 3 out of 7 days a week (if I have enough time in the morning to even think about making lunch).
I'm not saying you have ADHD, but it's definitely worth checking out.
Honestly you sound like me. I finally got diagnosed with ADD as an adult as my symptoms only got worse. School was a nightmare struggle my entire life. College was impossible. As a kid I devoured books, I suspect only because I didnt have internet and videogames. I loved books! I still love them, but for the life of me I CAN NOT sit down and read. And when I do manage to read my hands pick apart my hair and face because I cant sit still like that.
Try audiobooks. I had this same problem, and now I can listen to a book, while driving or doing housework so I can now actually invite people over without them recoiling in horror because I can actually tolerate doing chores without getting distracted five minutes in.
The only problem is trying to follow the story takes lots of concentration for me. I listen to chatty podcasts because missing a bit here or there when my mind wanders is ok. I havent been up to date on welcome to nightvale in a year because I cant focus long enough to listen.
I appreciate the suggestion though, audiobooks would be great for the occasional plane trip or five hour cleaning frenzy...
I feel you man. You sound like you described me. I have never been tested either I'm 30. I feel like I have ADD I have a lot of trouble focusing sometimes. Other days my brain is all over the place and can't figure out what I want to do when I have like 4 things that can get done. Then I end up just sitting there looking at Reddit or something until I have to tell myself no get up. Reading a book I am exactly the same. I could read the entire thing get done and not be able to tell you a single thing I just had read. Was super hard to focus on teachers talking and shit in school as well.
Just came here to say I feel very similarly. I haven't read since I was a child for this reason (I'm talking novels, etc).
I even found a book a few years ago that I was super interested in, and managed to make it most of the way through the book over months... But it becomes really frustrating and feels like a chore to read when, as you described, you suddenly realize you're 10 pages deep with no recollection of what you've just read. Your eyes keep moving and your hands even keep turning the pages. Then you realize you've been day dreaming of spaghetti or started pondering about an irrelevant piece of info given in the book. Then you gotta start over. But your kind is already so distracted, what's the point in reading now anyways?
It is something that has always bothered me and honestly made me feel inferior. I think of myself as quite intelligent, but when I can't perform in a school like setting it takes quite a toll on my confidence. Trying to sit and read really reminds me of that in a hurry :(
THIS ..... so much this. I like to think I'm a pretty smart guy, and when my friends start talking about what books they've been reading, etc......and then the subject gets to me, I feel embarrassed to say that I don't read. I don't read because it's just too frustrating for me. I would love to get lost in a novel or some finance books but it's just not possible.
I am exactly the same way! Things I don't care about or have zero relevance to me I have trouble doing, at all. But when I do something I am interested in, not even something I enjoy, I don't stop until it's finished.
Dude, you sound just like me. I have the exact issue you have wity reading books. Even books i enjoy im the same way. I read much much slower than most because of it.
edit: I also wanted to mention the book thing again. Most people could sit down and read a novel in a weekend if they had to, even if they weren't into the book/genre/whatever. For me......that sounds like a nightmare and I honestly don't think I would be able to do it.
I would love to be able to do this, the only series I can say I actually enjoyed as a kid was Harry Potter, it had the right amount of action to keep up with my pace. Since those days I've haven't really read and I envy people who can sit down and curl up with a book. It'd be nice to read GoT without forgetting what happened half a page back.
My ADD has never bothered me that much. It's sort of just always been there, but I hate my short term memory. I feel awful when I get ready of work in the morning and completely forget about the mess I leave behind. I apologize to my roommates frequently.
You should see my work bench in the garage. Tools and parts everywhere. I LOVE working in a clean and organized environment, but no matter how hard I try, my workspace always seems to be a mess.
I got diagnosed with what used to be called ADD. This is pretty much the generic story for diagnosis. My interests are currently cryptocurrency, golf, and luckily I am super interested in my job(elevators). I don't think I have gone long without thinking about these things for quite a while. I also don't jump hobbies like most people that fit the category. If I find interest in something I research, practice, whatever until I am good at it. And then I dream about it, think about it, distracted from everything else.
I have learned to cope with it and get things done. Lists are my thing. If I don't put it on the to do, it isn't getting done. I make lists for literally everything besides eating and shitting. Brushing my teeth and shower is usually on the list, that's how bad it is.
But I didn't like how meds made me feel. I enjoy the hyper-focus, the never ending thoughts about something, the revolving interests.
This is true but ADHD is different in this sense. It's not just a matter of I'm interested in this and not this so I can focus on this thing. There are activities I know I enjoy once I'm moving along with it but it feels like climbing a mountain just to get started. It's why intelligent people with many interests can't find success because the ADHD stands like an obstacle in between the thought and getting started. Once started, I can continue on focused until finished with even unpleasant things, I just can't get started.
Some days are better than others where there's a bit more motivation to get started or more likely, the deadline to complete that thing is approaching quickly and we're down to the wire (why procrastination is such a big issue with ADHD). And then again, this happens with things I have great interest in.
And then the burnout. Aside from music and gaming, nothing else I've ever had a fervent interest in lasts. I always burn out. And even for those two, I'll burn out and go 6 months without picking up a guitar or controller.
LOL.......yeah that seems about how that went. I also took a detour in there on how to try and fix my car door and how to get a good solid TIG weld upside down.
In university, I went for an assessment since I just couldn't focus. The woman in charge of screening said she had never seen anyone as ADD (non-hyper) as me. The psychologist ruled I wasn't ADD primarily because I didn't struggle in early school (despite EVERY report card saying that my mind was always elsewhere).
OMFG you have just described me, in addition to the browser tabs, in order for me to focus while I am working, I have to have some streaming video going on too. I never watch the show, its just I can focus better with it going on.
I usually have some sort of video or podcast on in the background at work because I find if it's too quiet, my mind wanders even faster.
To sleep, I usually put on my TV with a rerun of something I've already watched just so my brain can half-focus on that instead of jumping all over the plan and never letting me get any sleep.
I often wake up in the morning feeling like garbage even though I've had 7-8 and sometimes even more sleep. I wonder if this is related.
I am with you on the TV thing for bed, I don't do it as much as I used too but when my wife goes away to see her family or travels for work you better believe the TV goes on. Same for the sleeping 7-8 hours.
This is me rewatching the second half of Resident Evil The Final Chapter last night because i got towards the end and didny realize i had no idea how we even got to that point.
I've made it halfway through movies I've seen before and not even remembered until 1 critical scene and then it all comes rushing back. On the flip side, I'll watch a movie and remember the general gist of it, but all of the details are just GONE.
This is me with pretty much everything. Whenever someone doesn't believe me about having ADD I point them to all the times I forgot significant details from films I love or any big popular series. I wind up having to reread a lot of them because I simply don't retain those things while I'm reading or watching, so sometimes someone reminds me of a big twist and it blows my mind but it winds up being something key to the film or book, something someone who's as big a fan as I am shouldn't be able to overlook but it happens all the time.
On the other hand, I can remember tiny easily forgettable facts or information from an article, something I read dozens of every day, but because they're short and easy to consume I'm able to retain them fairly well.
I went to the doctor about 4 years ago and got some medication. I am 30 years old.
I really wish my mom would have taken some of my teachers advice when I was a young school boy. Probably could have been more successful in life by not being such an unfocused shit head in school.
Go to the doctor it wouldn't hurt to try something
Glad to hear you've turned things around. I always had good grades in school and never studied for anything. I went to University with plans to go to go into law, but that was a huge wakeup call and definitely did NOT go as planned. I wonder if I would have done better if I had some treatment earlier on.
I mean I'm 35 now, I have a great career and love what I do, but I still feel frustrated by how my brain works/doesn't.
Might be time to find myself a family doctor and see about getting some advice.
I was the opposite in school. Literally no fucks given. I was disruptive, restless, anything sounded better than being at school. But when I did actually pay attention I could do anything. I'm a quick learner. My parents were always like "You're going to really need to buckle down here kiddo" and I'm like I fucking can't!!
But yeah same here as far as work goes. Great career and I love it. I honestly don't know if I would have progressed as much as I did over the last few years with out that magic pill. It's just a matter of whether you abuse it or not.
Just tell your doc the situation and how you really have a hard time focusing on certain things and it's driving you nuts! That's how it was for me and it's much easier now! Hell even talking to people is easier!
People make fun of me when they catch a glimpse of how I use Chrome. If I get to the point where I have so many tabs I can only see the favicon I just drag a tab out into a new window because bitch I got RAM fo days and I might need those four dozen Stack Overflow tabs for later. It works for me! Everyone needs to back off.
You may be me, friendo. Only I'm 36. I am busy as all get out... but I can NOT get anything done. I just can't focus until the last minute. Fortunately my job requires me to thrive under pressure and is episodic in nature, but projects? Heh... that's why I'm on Reddit with 8 tabs open on my browser. Also I have to be cleaning and have 17 things due. GAH!
Mindfulness meditation strengthens your ability to focus on one thing and block out competing thoughts. I don't know if it helps if you have a disorder like ADHD. It has done wonders for me, and I have experiences similar to yours. Basically, it can be seen as practicing how to focus on one thing and then bringing by your focus back to it when we are inevitably distracted. The "one thing" many use to focus on, especially beginners, is the breath. I actually say in my head, "Breath In" "breath out." Inevitably some thought will spring up and I will suddenly realize I've been thinking about 5 different things fur who knows how long. I then acknowledge those thoughts and let them fade and bring my awareness back to my breath. Like anything else, by practicing this skill I have become better and better at it and find myself doing it reflexively in everyday life. From NYTIMES:
"WHEN THE MIND WANDERS
It’s inevitable: During meditation, your mind will roam. You may notice other sensations in the body, things happening around you, or just get lost in thought, daydreaming about the past or present, possibly judging yourself or others.
There’s nothing wrong with this — thinking is just as natural as breathing. “It’s the natural conditioning of the mind to wander,” said Ms. Brach.
When this happens, simply notice what it is you were thinking about or what was distracting you, then take a moment and pause.
You don’t need to pull your attention right back to the breath. Instead, let go of whatever it was you were thinking about, reopen your attention, then gently return your awareness to the breath, being present for each inhalation and exhalation.
“Don’t just drag the mind back to the breath,” said Ms. Brach. “Instead reopen the attention, then gently come and land again.”
Check out "The Willpower Instinct" by Kelly McGonigal. Pretty awesome book. Talks about dopamine and sleep and such and the effect it has on our ability to focus.
I was diagnosed last year with it. Sounds like it to me, I'm almost the same (I only have one instance of Firefox open with many tabs). The rest matches my experience.
Hyper-fixation is another symptom of ADD. I tend to get really, really into something for short periods of time and then lose interest just as quickly. For example, last summer when Pokémon Go came out I got really into Pokémon. I started re-watching the show, found emulators to play the games, and memorized stats and abilities and movesets of my favorite Pokémon. I also played Pokémon Go avidly. Within a couple of months I had completely forgotten what I found so fascinating about Pokémon and had moved onto trying to brush up on my French. Exact same thing happened there.
Same. I had a professor explain that to me. It was that ability that made me think I didn't have ADHD for awhile but he thing is those with add ADHD often CAN focus. Super fucking well, likeyou said and I know but we have to care about it. If I even slightly don't give a shit, it's not going to happen.
This is why I'm on reddit right now instead of studying for that circuits quiz I have in the morning. Fuck circuits, seriously. I know I should be studying and I'm going to regret if I don't (or worse, if the panic kicks in around 10:00 tonight and I study until I either collapse from exhaustion or have to get up and take the quiz), but I can't bring myself to go over and actually do it at the moment because, and I cannot stress this enough, I hate circuits. If I didn't have reddit to distract me I'd probably be reading a book or watching TV. Take that away and I'll be outside looking for bugs or something.
Yeah hyper focus can be very intense. I think it's a reason so many of us do very well at jobs where the shit hits the fan such as emergency services, fire fighters, intense crazy deadlines, stuff with Adrenalin. We can be great in a pinch. I'm sure in the days long before desk jobs when tribal warfare and hunting were common we were champions...farming though probably not so much.
LOL, this made me laugh! No shit! I'd be a horrible gardener or farmer back in colonial times.
I would almost bet that John Wilkes Booth had ADHD. He was an actor, had fabulous hair, was an assassin, and was incredibly stylish for the time period. He was good at fencing, was a horseman, was described as an "indifferent student" who was considered smart.
Yeah I've tended to think of it as variance disorder. We can be Incredibly on. And that fools people around us who think we should be able to accomplish this all the time. I'm lucky my executive functioning is okay. But yeah I'm an inattentive type and I definitely miss things. My mom is a semi hoarder and when I had to move home for a bit it was killing my ADHD. I could never find anything once I set it down, it would just disappear into the mess. I tried to explain to her once that the way she lived was like having someone not only fail to supply access ramps but also having them kick my wheelchair constantly.
That's why I like to call adhd variable attention syndrome. Because one thing can just in trance me. And others I no matter how I try I can't get going.
This is me. I can't focus for more than 3 minutes on pretty much anything, but when I'm passionate about something I could work on it for hours on end.
Same here. Anything physical, right in front of me? I'm the best there ever was. I'll outperform a lot of people.
Anything administrative that requires remembering to do paperwork, call important people, schedule appointments, and remember to go to the appointments? Good luck. Sometimes I can nail it down, most of the time I simply forget as I have moved on to something present and in front of me.
Fuck yes! I have hyper focus issues badly. Which sucks because I have switched my college major so many times because of it. So far, Chemistry has not fallen into my hyper focus cycle, so I'm hopeful i make it to the end of this degree.
So this is an actual thing in ADHD, it's called hyperfocus. There are usually a few things that a person can devote all of their attention to, but won't even notice others calling their name, or anything else not having to do with what they are focused on.
Same. Either I hyper focus and GET SHIT DONE or am completely out of tune and my life crumbles. My meds and understanding friends/family/work/etc help me maintain a healthy balance.
And for me, all the medication does is make various tasks 'interesting' to me that normally wouldn't be. In fact, I would argue that the medication makes me more easily distractible in the sense that it makes everything else also look appealing.
But yeah. All in all, I would be a way less productive worker if I didn't have my medication because I just wouldn't give a shit about projects and requests. Stimulants allow me to immerse myself in my work. They're miracle drugs.
So much this. My Horse is a fucking thoroughbred, although if he is not interested in racing, he puts himself out to pasture and could give 2 fucks about anything more than a few minutes at a time.
I refuse to medicate myself and rather power through it. I find breaking up my large tasks into small tasks fixes that issue. So even if my horse is out to pasture, I can convince him to gallop small distances.
100% if I want to learn something I can obsess on it for months. If not, it's impossible for me to pay attention. While I read material, I day dream, I'll have to read a paragraph 4-5x to comprehend it fully. And also, I lose Interest in something as quickly as I gain it. My latest thing is flying, I'll probably stick at it until I fly a few times then get bored and move on to the next thing. highly unlikely I'll see it through to a certificate. Also can only read something or play a game once and then it's dead to me after.
For me it's like my horse is always gallopping. If I don't put a ton of effort into into guiding it it will end up running down. The wrong path and I have to circle back to find where we went turned off. Medication makes my horse run even faster but also improves my ability to keep up with it most of the time. But if I "miss my turn" I can end up way more lost than if I were unmedicated, leading to a lot of "wait, why did I walk into this room?" Moments as my mind starts thinking about something else in the mental downtime of walking between rooms.
My horse is interested in a lot of different tasks. It's not that he loses interest in the task at hand, but, suddenly, another task presents itself and he insists we go work on that. And then another, and another. Some tasks are interesting, some are urgent, but they all lose precedence to the next task that comes to mind.
I can marathon build Super intricate Gundam, car, and spaceship models. But I can't make an appointment for a physical so I can keep my job until I'm at the day of the deadline. Super important stuff? Bah that can wait until it's about explode in my face, I have Gundam to build.
You're describing life.
You do tasks either out of of neccesity (money) or because you want to (everything else). Why would you ever spend time on something that doesn't interest you?
I think everyone is like that to some degree. The thing is that modern society is so abstract that things you are supposed to do are not really relevant or interesting to you in any way. The only reason most people do them, is because of the knowledge that there will usually be a better payoff from them in the future.
For most people school is boring. Work is boring. The things you have to do are boring. None of them directly involve you getting the things you need. 10,000 years ago, you either hunted and gathered the things you needed/wanted... or you died. Life has just changed a lot since then, and I think some brains are just more tuned to a type of life that died out thousands of years ago.
Your example of a better payoff doesn't apply to people with ADHD. ADHD people engage in delay discounting, so we don't consider the bigger long-term rewards as our primary choice against choosing lesser, short-term outcomes.
You sound like someone who doesn't understand living with ADHD.
Your example of a better payoff doesn't apply to people with ADHD. ADHD people engage in delay discounting, so we don't consider the bigger long-term rewards as our primary choice against choosing lesser, short-term outcomes.
I never said anything about people with ADHD. I said the problem is not unique to people with ADHD.
Most people have no desire to do most of the things they are supposed to do during the day. They put near zero effort into these things, and they do the minimum required amount of work so that they aren't bothered by immediate negative consequences.
Sometimes, they don't even go that far.
So, the whole idea that this is a "problem" for just ADHD people is a bit silly. Its a "problem" with basically everyone. I'm not even sure the blame lies with the people, but rather the way we've built our world (it depends on your perspective).
Its entirely possible that it may be worse for people with ADHD, but a general lack of motivation to do anything is a pervasive issue. The failure of people to make choices for long term rewards is consistent across most of the population. Nearly everyone chooses short term benefit over long term outcomes.
This. I'm successful in my job, I got my pilots license, I'm good at multiple instruments but I almost didn't pass high school.
I was always known as a bit of an educational failure by my peers and people only knew me as a class clown. Now I make 6 figures doing something I love at the company I've wanted to work my whole life.
People with ADD need a little TLC when learning things in general education but they can flourish when given an open road.
Exactly! My attention span and memory are both great regarding subjects I care about, but when I don't - I lose focus easily, and have a hard time remembering where I left off - or what I already know - when I return to that subject.
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u/crwilso6 May 30 '17
My horse is amazing, performs like a fucking champion...only when he's interested in the task.
Otherwise my horse is a real ass.